<p>As everybody knows to be successful in MT you need to be able to act, sing, and dance and do each of those well. How would you rank these skills in order of importance and which of the three is your strongest .</p>
<p>My rankings: </p>
<li>Acting</li>
<li>Singing</li>
<li>Dance</li>
</ol>
<p>Of the three I am strongest in acting.</p>
<p>Mine would be:</p>
<p>Singing
Acting
Dance</p>
<p>People argue that acting is the most important (and I can see why), however I believe there is a lot more to it than that. It depends on the individual and your own personal style and quality.</p>
<p>As I started typing my post I was replying to the header, but I now realize that it is more of a poll 
</p>
<p>Anyway some food for thought:</p>
<p>We once saw a show that had an amazing actress, who also happened to be a decent dancer/mover. The show required her to sing just one song though (3 minutes in a 2 1/2 hr show); she butchered it, and all people could talk about was how “terrible she was”. Every time I countered that her acting was believeable and her dancing great, people kept repeating how horrible her singing was. Mind you this was 10 years ago, and patrons still remember…</p>
<p>I guess at the end of the day, the type of show one is in will dictate what strength is most prominent. In a show with a lot of emotional depth, I would hope that the leads are good actors. In a show where the emphasis is on the dance numbers, I would definitely like to see decent dancers, rather than great actors hopping around :).</p>
<p>my strongest is singing, but i believe it is a tie between singing and acting that is the most important in MT. because if you can’t sing but can act, you won’t go very far, but if you can sing but not act, your performance wouldn’t be as believable.</p>
<p>now that i think about it. for MT singing is probably the most important. it is what separates MT from straight theatre</p>
<p>I am probably in the minority here, but I think that acting is absolutely THE most important skill/talent for an MT performer. I am not saying that an MT performer doesn’t need a good voice or ability to dance, but I am saying that I have seen and been captivated by many a performer in a musical who could not claim to be Barbara Cook, voice-wise, but who nonetheless delivered/“sold” his or her songs in a way that made them believable. I would far, far rather watch a good singing actor in a musical than a fabulous singer who sees his or her lines as an interruption between songs. In other words, I think the ability to act a song convincingly is what separates an OK MT performer from a really great one. Remember: in musical theater, songs are what happen when the spoken word is no longer adequate to convey emotions or actions. It takes a truly good actor to make bursting into song seem natural and believable. I vote for acting being most important.</p>
<p>I think, depending on the show, singing is the most important, but…You must be able to act the song, parking and barking does not cut it, so singing/acting, hmm…</p>
<p>I cast my vote for acting skills; with the caveat, however, that the performer must be at least an adequate singer. And if you’re not – well, what are you doing in MT?!</p>
<p>I echo what onstage said. I am assuming, when I say acting is most important, that the person is actually a better-than-adequate singer. But the person does not need to be Kristin Chenoweth or Barbara Cook; he or she does need to be talented, however.</p>
<p>Ladies & gentlemen - just do it. If you want MT, then you gotta do all three. Work hard at what you are best in, and harder on what you are weak in. This strategy will pay off in the long run!</p>